Discuss various sources used by a modern indian historian?

Question

Discuss various sources used by a modern indian historian?

Answer 1

I am assuming you mean South Asian. Sources: modern era (18th c and after) - British gazzetter's reports, popular printed matter (magazines, newspapers), films, photographs, government reports, anything printed by corporations, legal sources (case transcripts etc). Archives would be - national archives (new delhi), various state archives, personal and private collections (you have to dig around for this). Many archives (or portions) are digitized - check the website of the National Archives in delhi. Check the Digital South Asia archive at the University of Pennsylvania - they have digitized many source materials. For colonial era sources - the India Office Library in London is key. Some, but not all of their materials are available over the internet in the public domain. Otherwise you have to go there.

For social and cultural history you have to be more innovative and dig around in towns for old printed matter. If you can read persian or urdu, all of pre-18th century india's source material will be accessible to you. The Mughlas kept their records in Persian and very rarely, in Urdu.

have fun!

Answer 2

This is vague, which doesn't always stop me, but also because the word "Indian" is used in two very different ways - the inhabitants of the Asian subcontinent and the aboriginal people of the Americas, answering this might be a wild goose chase. I'd suggest you repost and not only say which Indians you mean but be a little clearer about the assignment. There are so many Asian-Indian historians and an increasing number of Native American ones. Their use of sources would be gigantic.